Lt. Nicholas Hamilton -  US Army Lieutenant Iraq Scam

posted by Margot MacNutt in All about Spam on Feb 09, 2011


It appears the Nigerian 411-type scam has invaded Iraq, and it’s using American soldiers as the bait and hook. Our spam filters are picking up this new form of trash that will definitely play on Americans’ patriotism and their support for their troops.

 
 
 

Here is the email content:

From: “Lt. Nicholas Hamiltom” <hamilton015@att.net>
Cc: <recipient list not shown>
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 11:14 PM
Subject: Urgent,pls get back to me ASAP

 Hello,
 Please read the proposal i have put in the attachement and get back to me  ASAP.
 I have also attached my official US military ID so that you can identify  me  properly.
 
 Regards,
 Lt. Nicholas Hamilton
 Private and secured e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

This message contains 2 attachments:
1. A text message with the usual promise of riches (full message content below)
2. A photo ID card that apparently belongs to the sender/soldier mentioned in the message

The “my proposal.txt” file is:

Hello,

How are you doing? Please do not be embarrassed about my unsolicited e-mail to you. I am in  need of your assistance. My name is Nicholas Hamilton,a West Point Graduate and a 1st Lieutenant in the US Army currently serving at the Engineering Unit of US Military here in Ba’qubah in Iraq; we have about $3.7 Million that we want to move out of the country. This money was found in boxes some time ago during our routine raid around the base.

I need a good partner out there, someone I can trust to receive the funds on my behalf. You have nothing to be afraid of as the money is not illegal and i have a good worked out plans to get it to you.
The most important thing is; “Can I Trust you”?

Once the funds get to you, simply take out 20% as your share and keep the remaining 80% for us. Your own part of this deal is to find a safe place where the funds can be sent to, ours is  sending it to you safely.

Also you can view this news Link for proper verification  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

If you are interested I will furnish you with more details upon receipt of your response and contact details. But I can assure you the whole process is simple and we must keep a low profile at all times.

I look forward to your reply and co-operation.I have kept this money for so long but right now that President Barrack Obama is serious about moving us (the last troop) out this 2011 as against the planned June 2013, I need to get this cash out ASAP.
I have attached my official military ID card for you to know me in person.
Reply me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Regards,
Lt. Nicholas Hamilton
Private and secured e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

And the “Nicholas Hamilton ID.jpg” badge:

We haven’t checked the validity of the ID card and whether Nicholas Hamilton actually exists. The question is: how did the scammers get possession of it? Presumably this is just the first wave, and other soldier’s names and ID cards will be used (or faked) in the near future.


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Comments

I am in the us military, this id card is obviously a fake, all us military id have Geneva Coventions Identification Card printed on the bottom, Not Iraq special forces. Further more, Special forces wears the grean beret, not red. Also, i have yet to see one military ID in which someone put one a dress uniform to take. Do you put on a suit to got to the DVM.Yeah well military id is pretty much the same

By spc murray, tyrone on 2011 02 10

Thank you for your comments and for confirming that this is a fake. Like most lay people, I don’t know anyone in the military and wouldn’t have noticed the wrong-colored beret and the fake “extras” on the ID card. This is how the majority of people get fooled into thinking these things are legit - just because they look impressive. But if you read the text of the message and spot all the mistakes, that should be the tipoff that the message is fake.

By Margot MacNutt on 2011 02 23